Sunday, December 15, 2013

Yesterday I ran 23 miles. Actually, it was 23.15 miles but
hey, who’s counting?

I AM!

A few months ago I convinced hubby to request a Saturday off
(yes, it really sucks that he works all.weekend.long) so I could run a half marathon
and tack some miles on to make an even (or possibly odd) 23 miles for the day.
I hadn’t run a race in 2013 yet due to the severe bout of flu I had last winter
and had to bail on the 15k in January and then this wretched move to NOLA shot
any dreams that I had of running the ATL Half for the third year in a row. When
I discovered a half in December, I knew I had to take it. My plan for the day
was to get down there early, run a two mile warm up, run the half and then tack
on 8 miles and be done.

When I picked up my bib at the running store (yes the race
was so small the “packet pick up” was at a store) I asked how big the race was.
The woman tried to tell me it was a big race. I figured that since the quantity
of bibs for the 5k AND the Half was smaller than the letter “B” at the ATL
half, she didn’t know what big was. I was right. I had hubby and boys drop me
off at the entrance to City Park so I could put in my two miles. I ran past the
start line so I could get the lay of the scene and discovered I had tons of
time. I had enough time to get three miles in and stretch before the National
Anthem.

The Ole Man River Half started promptly at 8 am. The temperature was a cool 66, feels like 66. The
wretched humidity was up to 94%. I could feel the cool, thick air as I hopped
out of the car and I knew it was going to be a hard 23 miles. I’m not sure how
or why, but the first 7 miles (remember 3 before the half, so 4 into the half)
were well under the 12 minute pace. Once again, I blew my wad by going out way
too fast for the distance and humidity that day. I guess it was race day
jitters? I should know better by now. I even went into the day knowing
that it was a possibility. Once my watched beeped 7 miles (4 into the half), I
knew I was done. Crap. 9 miles left of the race and 16 miles left to run. I
struggled. My pace slowed down and then the headwinds at the lake started
working against me. The overpasses felt like mountains. It sprinkled a bit. I
think that some people would call it rain, but I knew the “rain” could be much
worse. Thankfully, it didn’t outright rain or I would have been screwed. Then
the clouds burned off and the darned sun came out. I could feel the road
starting to melt in the sun. The second half of the race was all a blur.
Finally, I entered back into the park and the beautiful oak trees created some
shade. As I entered the finish chute, I saw hubby and the boys holding the most
amazing signs cheering me on. I literally cried when I saw them. The boys
hopped in and brought me across the finish line!

I told hubby that was the hardest half I have ever run and
he quickly reminded me that I have never put in 3 miles before a race. I did a quick
stretch and walked with them back to the car. They went to play mini golf in
the park and I pushed on through for the last 7 miles. Mid race I had planned
to just bail. Jump in the car and go home with them. But then I saw those beautiful
signs and I knew I couldn’t give up. I’m not a quitter. I adjusted my run-walk
ratio to 2:2 and pushed on. I did it. I finished 23 miles and I felt like
wonder woman! My IT band didn’t hurt like it did on my 20 miler. I think I
could have pushed on for another 3.1 miles and completed the marathon distance.
Don’t get me wrong, I hurt, but I was uncomfortable vs. the severe pain I felt
last time.

What worked for this race:

Aspaeris pivot compression shorts really helped my IT band

Body glide on my feet and under the front of my bra line

Gels every 4 miles

Clif bar to munch on throughout the run (no real hunger
pains mid run)

Body glide on my shoulder straps and at the back of my bra-
hello chafing!

Hydrate with electrolytes in the 24 hours before the race.
When I finished the half, my hands were the equivalent of Fred Flintstone feet.
I asked a friend who is almost done with nursing school and is an endurance
athlete and she told me that I was dehydrated and I need to hydrate the day
before with a combination of nuun and coconut water. I’m going to try that next
time. I’ll keep y’all posted.

I didn’t PR on this race or even this run. I was incredibly
proud of myself for keeping my pace below 12 minutes for the first 7 miles,
even if it means that I struggled the last part of my run. The reason being is
that when I finish this marathon and train for my next half, I will have a
MAJOR half marathon PR. My endurance-athlete nurse friend told me that running doesn’t
get easier, you just get faster. I have been sad that my pace has actually
slowed down by a full minute this training round. I try to remind myself that
my distance is doubling and unless you’re Kenyan, a marathon is not a sprint.
Yesterday’s paces proved to me that with the proper training and focus, I will
kick some major asphalt on my next half marathon.

Two weeks of light running then the big 26.0, then the long waited
taper. I feel like I’ve been training for a year now.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Holy heck and shoot fire! Twenty miles is not for the feint
of heart! Saturday, November 23 I ran 20 miles. TWENTY FREAKING MILES!!! I have
never run that far and it was mind blowing! I prepared a 6.63 mile loop that I
ran three times and then tacked on a bit more to get an even 20. I started just
before 6:30 in the morning. I had gotten up early to eat a bowl of oatmeal and
drink some water. My nerves woke me up early and I could barely finish my
oatmeal. I threw a Clif bar in a Ziploc bag and planned to much on it during
the run. I brought four gels and took them every four miles. I had my hydration
vest full of water and my fuel belt was full of nuun (two 8 ounce flasks up
front, two 10 ounce flasks in the back). The temperature was 64, feels like 64
with 94%+ humidity. The minute I stepped outside and felt the humidity I knew
it would take longer than originally planned for this run.

As expected, the
humidity really weighed me down. I started munching on my Clif bar around five
miles. Take a bite and swig some water. I have found that I get incredibly
hungry mid-run and I need to eat something or my stomach growls so bad it feels
like severe stomach cramping. Taking gels every four miles really worked. My
run/walk ratios were 4/1 (minutes). About 15 miles in, I decided that I was
absolutely crazy for doing this! I even ran into my neighbor and told them that
I was 15 miles in to a 20 mile run, he and his wife just looked at me like I
was crazy! I admitted to them that right about then, I was either crazy or
incredibly stupid. I felt both!

I can honestly say that this was the hardest physical run I
have ever had. I struggled to keep my mind in the game. Knowing that I had
three loops made it easier. The first loop was just that, but by the second
loop, I was telling myself that I only had to pass that house one more time. I
only had to pass that tree one more time. That really helped. About 18 miles
in, my body decided to start fighting me. I guess it had enough of the abuse.
My IT band got incredibly tight and started affecting my knee. I could feel
some major blisters on my feet. I pushed on through and had to walk more than
I’d like those last 1.5 miles, but my garmin read 20.01 miles when I finally
got home! And yes, I immediately took a picture of it!

What worked this time:

My hydration was good. I could have brought more nuun since
I burned through it due to the humidity. I think I will bring my 16 ounce
handheld full next time and strap it into my hydration vest

Fueling was epic! The Clif bar really helped and the gels
did their job.

Overall, this was an epic run and I couldn’t stop telling
people for the next 36 hours that I had run 20 miles! I can’t wait to say that
I am a marathoner and to put that 26.2 magnet on the back of my car!

Next up: I will run 23 miles on 12/14. I am actually going
to run a half down at City Park and then tack on 10 more miles. I will need to
remind myself to not race this event, but treat it like a long run. I’m
notorious for blowing my wad in the first 10k of a half and struggle on
through.

Saturday, November 2, 2013

I woke up before my alarm today. I tossed and turned all
night, anticipating said alarm. 17 miles on tap for this morning and I was
dreading them. My last few long runs have left a lot to be desired and the
thought of running 17 undesirable miles brought me to tears. I sucked it up,
got out of bed, got dressed and made myself some oatmeal. My plan was to run
four miles outside and then finish up with 13 on the treadmill. I’ve been
trying to run outside as much as I can when hubby is home to watch the boys. I
know that my marathon is outside and not on the treadmill and let’s face it;
outside running is far more enjoyable. I did my first four miles and they were
magnificent. I have no idea what my splits are because my Garmin was dead this
morning. Epic fail. Before stepping out the door, I grabbed one of the gels
that I had laid out for my treadmill set and threw it into the pocket of my
skirt. After the first four miles, I was stretching my calves and felt the gel.
I decided what the heck, today was made for running. So I sucked down the gel
and ran another four. If I had thrown anymore in my pocket I would have
finished up my whole run outside. It was that good. My legs felt light, my
lungs cooperated, there was a beautiful sunrise and the birds were singing. It
was a perfect morning for running!

I ran a total of 8 miles outside at 1:33:29. The temperature
was 63 degrees, 83% humidity and a dew point of 58. I ran 9 miles inside at
1:52:30. A total of 17 miles at 3:25:59. I still cannot figure out my proper
pace on the treadmill. I feel like I am putting in a solid effort and I’m
averaging 12 minute miles. The same pace outside gives me 10:30 minute miles.
Perceived effort I guess?

Starting my run, I made the conscious effort to start out slow
and steady, 17 miles is no joke and I wanted to finish strong instead of the
usual crash and burn. I ran 4 minutes and walked 1 minute. In my past runs, I
have run 4 walked 30 seconds and the wheels always come off in the second half.
The 4:1 ratio (that I even kept on the treadmill) was perfect. I will keep that
ratio for my next long runs (20 mi, 23 mi and 26 mi), only three more to go
before race day! I took a gel every four miles (4, 8, 12 and 16). I had just
water for the first 8 miles outside and then started alternating with water and
nuun for the last 9. Like I said, I finished strong and didn’t feel too
dehydrated by the end. I was covered in salt and had some nasty chaffing.
Nothing that a little preemptive body glide can’t fix next time around.

I did eat half of a Clif bar after the 8 miles outside. I
have noticed on my past runs that I get so hungry mid run I start to cramp.
Trying to decide if I should bring a Clif bar on race day cut into 3rds in a
Ziploc or just grab a kids’ Z bar. I will experiment on the last three long
runs! I am elated that there are only three more to go! This has been a hard
distance to train for. A half marathon definitely fits into my family time much
easier than a full. As of this moment, I am not sure if I will run another full
until the boys are much older and can stay home by themselves. I do know that
it could completely change post race and I’ll probably sign up for my next one
immediately. I am running a half marathon next month. It coincides with my 23
miler. I will run the race (my only 2013 race) and then come home and run 10
more.

What worked for today:

Carb loading yesterday was a success! Waffle with Greek
yogurt for breakfast, sandwich and salad for lunch, snack, and spaghetti for
dinner

Pre and during run fueling was a success! Oatmeal this
morning, gels every 4 miles, half a clif bar mid run, water and nuun

Sticking to the 4:1 ratio

Lessons learned:

Body Glide. Body Glide. Body Glide

Need to get sunglasses for outside running

Charge the Garmin

I really needed this run today. It re-ignited my passion for
running and proved that I am much stronger than I think.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Saturday I ran 14 miles. The plan was to run four outside
and finish up the last ten on the treadmill so hubby could get to work on time.
Too bad the rain started before five am. I could hear it hitting the tin roof
and I knew that all 14 miles would be logged on the treadmill. I have a love-hate
relationship with my treadmill. I love it! It is an absolutely blessing and I’m
no longer a slave to hubby’s work schedule OR the crazy New Orleans weather! I
hate it because it is so darned boring to run on.

Two weeks ago, I was scheduled to run 12 miles while being
home visiting family. I had a plan to run it on Sunday, 10/6. For some reason I
thought I could squeeze 12 miles into the craziness known as my brother’s
wedding. As you can guess, my plan was an epic fail. The combination of jet
lag, staying up too late and having a tad too much to drink at the reception meant all I could think about the next morning was a big, fat, greasy
cheeseburger. I did hop on my brother’s treadmill a few days later but it was
too late in the afternoon to pull off all 12 miles, so I logged six.

Having skipped those 12 miles, I knew I had to
approach the impending 14 with caution. I started of WAY slower than usual and
gradually increased the speed. I never ran faster than 5.3. I am still working
on walk breaks when on the treadmill. I started off thinking I’d walk every
four miles when I took my gels. After the first four miles, I realized that I
was incredibly tired and struggling physically and mentally. Then I decided
that walking every two miles could get my through. By the time I reached the
halfway point, I knew I was going to have to walk every mile. So I ran .9 miles
and walked .1 until the last two when all I wanted to do was cut off my legs at
the knees and be done. I finished all fourteen miles and am incredibly proud of
myself for not quitting like I wanted to. I tried to not let this crappy run
discourage me too much. That is what happens when you skip a long run.
Thankfully, I don’t have anything on the horizon that will cause the miss of
another long run.

My next long distance will be 17 miles and that is a very
daunting number. The farthest I have ever run is 15. I will continue to work on
my treadmill walk breaks knowing that on race day I will maintain a 4:1 ratio.
Run four minutes, walk one minute. I’d love to be able to negative split this
race (something I have never been able to do since I blow my wad in the first
half of each race), but I will focus on finishing. It is my first full marathon
and all I want to do is cross that finish line!

Sunday, September 22, 2013

I never did get out and finish up those 9 miles that I bailed on. I figured out that the humidity combined with poor carb-loading
the day before caused me to dehydrate and made me pretty miserable. I finished
up my training week and continued on, slightly worried about the next long run
of 10.5 miles. I had some decent evening runs and ran a solid 4 miles last
week. It took me a good week to recuperate from that epic fail. I was dreading
my mileage increase and actually started to dread my short 30-minute runs.
Afraid of my run? That has not happened to me before and I was quite ashamed.
Then, I was gifted the best present in the whole wide world, this beautiful
thing:

The Nordic Track C900 Pro. I actually ordered the C900, on
sale with a 10% off coupon AND free shipping. They were out of the C900 and
upgraded me (free of charge) to the C900 Pro! It came early Friday afternoon.
It took me all day to assemble it. I woke up Saturday morning more sore than I
have felt after racing a half marathon. My quads hurt from all the up and down during assembly. I guess I need to start incorporating squats into my weight training? I
actually had to take a hot shower last night and then rub my quads down with
icy hot to loosen them up for this morning’s run. It worked.

I set my alarm for 6, got up and ate some oatmeal and
crawled back into bed with half a cup of coffee. When I was able to focus my
eyes clearly, I got back out of bed and put on my running skirt. I wanted to
start by 6:45 so I could be done shortly after the boys woke up. Too bad the
noise of me on the treadmill woke them up! I was only half a mile in when they
came out of their room. They did enjoy watching me run. For ten minutes. Then
they moved on to more important things like playing chess or with their legos.

I did experience some technical difficulties due to user
error. I was 1.25 miles in and decided it would be a good idea to move the key
clip to me so the machine would turn off if I managed to tumble. I didn’t
tumble, but I did manage to unplug the machine and it deleted my stats from the
screen. I plugged it back in and made the mental note that I was running to
9.25 miles instead of 10.5. For some reason, I remember that I had just burned
200 calories but can’t remember the time. Ha! My next “technical difficulty”
was around mile 8.5 (give or take some mileage). I didn’t realize that the
machine would turn off after 1.5 hours of use. It did. Thankfully it kept my
distance and I could quickly turn up the speed to the pace I had been keeping.
There is nothing worse than running at a set pace and then have it slow down
unexpectedly. Next time I will anticipate this turn off.

I wore my race vest full of water and kept and handheld
bottle of nuun on the cup holder. I took a gel at mile 4 and at mile 8. Even
though I was running inside, I didn’t want to dehydrate myself again. I only
took walk breaks at mile 4 (with a gel), mile 7 (my legs were needing a rest
due to the sore quads) and mile 8 (second gel). The
unplanned walk break at mile 7 was due to my legs not being used to running
longer distances.

It is hard to run any distance on it with the screen (slowly) counting
up your distance but once I hit 5 miles I knew I was halfway done and
it seemed to go quicker. I would consider today’s run an epic success! I know
that training for a marathon on a treadmill is not ideal, but in this New
Orleans humidity, I need a reprieve! The good news is that it is a flat course
AND the humidity will be much less in February.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Today’s schedule had a nine-mile run on tap. I was set. I
had eaten the right amount of carbs for dinner last night, drank tons of nuun
yesterday and munched on a few pretzels. I knew it would be a muggy run this
morning, but I was prepared for it. Or so I thought. I’ve been enjoying my
low-humidity evening runs a bit too much I guess. I stepped out the door at
6:25 this morning and all I could think was, "Ugh, nine miles in this?"

The first
mile was slow, the humidity was pressing down on my body and I was still trying
to wake up. My second mile got easier. The third mile, I was starting to feel
it. My face and neck were getting too warm. I pulled out my chilly pad from the
back of my race vest and put it around my neck. It helped a little. By 3.5
miles I got the worst side stitch I have ever had. I stopped running and
figured I could walk it off. By the time my garmin ticked mile four, I was in
even more pain. That was when I decided to throw the towel in and walk home.
That was one painful mile to home. I swear that the Sheriff that passed me on
the road would have pulled over and put me in his car if he had not been in the
inside lane on Esplanade!

Thankfully I made it home with no accidents. I wasn’t sure
if either end was going to erupt based on the level of pain I was experiencing.
I got in the shower and then crawled back into bed and slept it off. I’m
feeling better this afternoon, but still have that dehydration headache. Not
sure what happened this morning, fingers crossed it was a one-time event.

Lessons learned from this epic fail:

1)Use the chilly pad immediately on the long run. There is NO
reason to let myself get overheated first, start off cool and maintain a
comfortable level.

2)Find a breakfast that works. I had half of a banana and half
of a piece of toast this morning. That combo obviously wasn’t enough.

3)Suck it up and run. I know I made the right decision this
morning, but it is incredibly hard to run in 97% humidity (or more!). My choice is either
muggy mornings or HOT (95 feels like 101+) in the evenings where I will
definitely overheat AND run out of daylight.

I will run the missing four miles tomorrow. I know it is not
ideal, and I’m really upset that I had to bail this morning, but it was the
right decision. I knew it was going to be a hard run when my stomach felt off
this morning as I was getting out of bed. Even before the cramp I found myself
wishing cars would run the stop sign and hit me so I wouldn’t have to finish,
it was that hard; then the cramping hit. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind
and my body was physically off. The good news is that my new treadmill should
be here in two weeks or less so my next long run can be done on it’s proper day
with no care to the heat, humidity or hubby’s work schedule. I know treadmill
running isn’t ideal, but it’s incredibly practical for my current situation.

Regardless of the craptastic run, I am glad that I was able
to get out and do five miles this morning!

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Yesterday I ran 8 miles. I was actually scheduled to run 7.5
but I was so close to the 8 mile mark I decided to finish up that last .5
miles. I struggle with running half miles, they are hard to plan for on my
usual routs and I struggle with them mentally: if I can run .5 miles, why not
go all the way to 1?

I was up at 5:30 that morning. I didn’t sleep well the night
before, not sure why. I usually anticipate my alarm on my early running days,
but that night was just due to random insomnia. I ate half a bowl of oatmeal
with cinnamon and half of a banana. I tried to drink some water, but not too much. Just a few minutes past six, I had foam rolled and was ready to
go. It was early dawn, the sun was just starting to wake up. It was 77
degrees with 100% humidity. I could sure feel that humidity. The first three
miles were hard. I felt slow, heavy and sluggish. Once the sun came up, the
humidity started to drop and I noticed a difference. Even a 3% drop is easily
noticeable. I took a gel at 4 miles. I was thankful for my new hydration vest.
The Nathan Intensity 2L vest was perfect! I could take a swig as needed and not
slow down to fumble with my flasks. I did bring two flasks of nuun in my hydration
belt and two flasks of water for dousing my face, neck and head. By the end of
the run, my flasks were empty but my vest was over half full. Great news for
longer distances in this NOLA humidity! I passed a few other runners, a bit
uncommon for my morning runs. Not sure why everyone decided to wake up at 6am
to run? Maybe it was the rain we had the day before?

These 8 miles were indeed the hardest I have ever run, but I
kept them all under 13 minute miles (don’t forget I said 100% humidity) and
that made me feel good. I think that as the humidity drops, I will find my
speed. I hope.

I spent the rest of the afternoon drinking the rest of my
water and watching Lord of the Rings: Return of the King with the family. For
dinner we had some rocking steak fajitas and I might have had a gin a tonic. Overall,
it was an epic day.

Today, the boys and I went for a short walk. I’m only a tad
sore from yesterday. I mostly feel tired and run down. I’m guessing that is
from the humidity. Looking forward to another three miles either tomorrow night
or Saturday morning- depending on the weather and how I’m feeling.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Due to a change in hubby’s work schedule, I will now be
running my 30 minute runs in the evening after he gets home from work and can
watch the boys. I wasn’t too happy when I found this out. I’m a morning runner,
not an evening runner. Last night was my first attempt. I started at 6:30. The
temperature was 81 degrees feels like 86 degrees with 76% humidity. It has been
a tad cooler this week, waiting for 92-L to hit. Incidentally, it bypassed us
completely and went to Atlanta.

I ate dinner at 5:00 with the boys. Hubby got home and I
headed out immediately. I was surprised at my quicker than normal pace. I
thought that I would burn up quickly and then crash. I didn’t. I set a new 5k
PR since moving to NOLA! I guess it was the fact that I had eaten before this
run? I don’t normally eat before running in the morning. About a mile in, I
realized that running in the evening isn’t as bad as I had made it out to be. I
could hear the metallic rhythm of the cicadas in the trees. They are MUCH
louder here than the ATL! I could smell people grilling their dinners. There were
so many people out and about in the streets and their yards. I’m used to the
hotbox combination of sewer and pot combined with dead streets at 6:00 am. This
was much different, almost pleasant. I even found a quarter in my last mile
home! We’ll see on my next evening run if this was a one-time experience or if
I’m going to look forward to my evening runs.

Next up is 7.5 miles on Wednesday. My Nathan Intensity 2L
race vest has arrived, so I know I will stay hydrated. I’ll let y’all know how
it goes.

Sunday, August 11, 2013

I just finished week five of the Jeff Galloway Finish It Marathon Training Plan. My long run was six miles. I can honestly say that they
were the hardest six miles I have ever run in my life. I started off at quarter
after six in the morning. It was already 80 degrees with 91% humidity. The heat
index brought the temperature up even higher. I scarfed down half of a banana
knowing I’d need fuel but not wanting to waste time eating a full breakfast and
waiting for it to digest. I stepped out of the front door and it felt like I
was in a sauna. Ugh. I had a full fuel belt: two flasks of nuun up front and
two flasks of water in the back. I set my garmin and started my timer. My legs
were slow, the heat and humidity kept pushing me down making me slower. The
miles slowly ticked away and I took a gel at mile three. I don’t normally take
gels with me on six miles, but figured with the lack of breakfast combined with
the weather, I should bring one. I’m glad I did. At each walk break (4 min run,
30 second walk) I would take a sip of nuun. After the second mile I started
sipping water and splashing it on my face. After three miles I started pouring
water on my neck and my head. By mile five my fuel belt was sucked dry. The
only thing that got me home was knowing I had only one mile left.

Lessons learned for a successful run in August in New
Orleans:

I need to find something I can
eat (before my long runs) and then run immediately. Half a banana works. I
wonder if I should try adding some Greek yogurt as well? Training for my half
marathons, I would eat a bowl of oatmeal. Unfortunately, oatmeal is too hot and
I don’t want to get up that early to eat and then wait for digestion.

I need to leave the house at SIX
am and not any later. Once that sun comes up, it gets H-O-T!

I need to bring more liquids.
Problem solved. I ordered a Nathan Intensity 2 Liter vest. It should be here
before my next long run (7.5 miles)

I should consider getting a
Frogg Toggs Chilly Pad to keep my neck cool. I loose a lot of water by dousing my neck and head.

Rough run aside, it was pretty awesome knowing I ran six miles in weather most
people don’t even leave the house in! Pretty GBA in my book. I’m looking
forward to my new vest and experimenting with breakfast options that don’t give
me a mid run gut ache.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Yup, it’s official. I’m training for my first marathon! I
started this week and I’m thankful to be using the Galloway Method due to the
intense humidity in NOLA. Phew! Post run, I’m a thirsty, tired, fatigued and
getting headaches. I’ve been chugging nuun and coconut water like it’s going
out of style! I think it is helping. I hope. This week I’m “base building” by
running 3 miles max. I’m cool with that since I’m still acclimating to the
weather here. I have found that hitting the road by 7 am is ideal, and
regardless of the distance, I need to bring a TON of water and some nuun. As my
distance increases, I will need to start up some salt tabs since I sweat like a
pig!

Sunday, June 23, 2013

These last 2.5 months have been incredibly hard and I’m glad
as heck they are done.

Hubby got transferred to New Orleans in April and I stayed
in the ATL with the boys to finish up school. I now have a new found respect for
single parents and military spouses. Single parenting sucks! I found solace in
running. Knowing that each footstep I took was bringing me closer to June 1,
our move date. As therapeutic my running was it was also bittersweet. Knowing
that these were my last two months running the streets of my neighborhood. I
found myself on those streets. I started walking and pulling my boys (a
combined weight of 80+ pounds) in a wagon to prepare for my hysterectomy. Post
surgery, I started walking. My walking moved to wogging. I bought my first pair
of running shoes and decided to give this running thing a try. I fell in love.
I lost twenty pounds. I found my confidence. I found my strength. I grew up. I
conquered 5k, I crushed 10k, I ran my first 13.1 and I pulverized 15 miles!

In
my last week before the move, my family back home in Seattle called to tell me
that my Gram was in the hospital and she had 24 hours left to live. My Gram was
my best friend in college. We were roommates, foot twins and shouldered each
other through the grief of my PopPop’s passing. She had been battling lung
cancer for over six years. (She never smoked a day in her life.) She had 24 hours
to live and I was 3,000 miles away. I have never felt so crushed and so
helpless in my life. Thankfully I was able to face time with her for over an
hour at 1:00 in the morning ATL time. I was able to see her, smile at her and
tell her that I love her. I only wish that I could have given her a hug. She
was tired and in pain, but I was not able to see that she was dying. After our
chat, she took a turn for the worse and died 14 hours later. I find comfort in
knowing that she is no longer in pain and that she is with PopPop. My last
words to her were asking her to give PopPop a hug from me and telling her I
love her. Her last words to me were telling me what an honor it is to be my
Grandma and goodbye.

Goodbye. It’s so final.

She passed on a Tuesday, the movers came to box up our house
on Thursday and they loaded the truck on Friday. I don’t know how I made it
through that week; probably because of the flask of Jim Beam that I kept in my
purse. We left the ATL on Saturday morning and started our drive to NOLA. We
only made it as far as Montgomery, AL when the transmission on my car blew. All
I could do is laugh. After everything that I had been through: single parent
for two months, my Gram dying, moving and then the transmission blows. Long
story short: AAA towed the car to a garage, they don’t work on transmissions,
hubby took a taxi to the airport, finally found a rental car, drove back to the
garage in said rental car, the nice assistant manager offered to lock up my car
in the garage over night, we drive the remaining miles to NOLA and eventually
fall asleep in hubby’s corporate apartment. The next morning (Sunday), I
attempt to have AAA tow my car to a garage that works on transmissions. Epic
fail. You can’t have a car towed to a closed garage without being present. We
end up spending moocho dinero to have the car towed from Montgomery all the way
to NOLA. We meet the tow truck at a transmission shop and drop the key. We
spend the next few days lounging around the apartment, trying to catch our
breath. Wednesday, the moving truck arrives. They unload and I start unpacking
frantically so I can turn around and pack suitcases for the boys and myself.

Thursday morning at 6:50 am, the boys and I hop a plane to
Seattle for Gram’s memorial. If given the chance, I would have bailed on this last minute trip due to the large amount of stress I was carrying. We made it safely to
Seattle and I collapse. Gram’s memorial was nice but incredibly hard. I was
glad to be able to attend and see her friends. I was relieved that I had the
opportunity to run on my brother’s treadmill for five miles before the service.

We enjoyed 1.5 weeks visiting with family that we hadn't seen in years.

The day before Father’s Day, my baby brother, mom, the boys
and I hiked up to the ice caves. My mom fractured her ankle just as we were
starting the descent. She went one way and her ankle went another. I learned how to basket carry someone with a fracture. It
isn’t easy work whilst hiking down a mountain!

I spent my last few days in Seattle deep cleaning my parent’s
house and babysitting “Gimpy” as I now call her. She finally gained the rest
and strength she needed as I was leaving. Phew!

The boys and I are back in NOLA, a happily united family. Glad
to be with hubby and looking forward to possibly going for a run tomorrow
morning. I really wouldn’t advise any of the above happening to any of you (as
if you can control it!) and I especially wouldn’t advise all of the above
happening to you at one time. I am thankful for the ability to run. I am
thankful for my family. I say I love you to my family each time we say goodbye.
You never know if it is your last goodbye.

Next month I start my marathon training. Right now I plan to
run as I feel: maintain my base, sanity control and getting used to the humidity
down here. I’ll keep y’all posted as I ease into 100%+ humidity running whilst
training for the Full Mary. I can’t wait!!!

Saturday, May 18, 2013

I don't mention my family very often these days, for personal reasons. Mostly because I try to keep this as my running journal. BUT when my two worlds collide, then that's something worth writing about.

This morning I took the boys for a run. It was only one mile, we ended up walking more than I was used to, but it was a run. It was an epic run. My 8 year old struggled to keep the pace. He's a linebacker, built just like his daddy. My 6 year old, lean and lithe, could have run circles around us for who knows how long. When the three of us were able to hit the same pace and maintain it for two minutes, it was amazing. We were talking, cracking jokes and having a blast. I saw a glimpse of our running future together and I'm so excited! I'm looking forward to many more runs with my new found Best Running Friends and I can't wait!

My goal is to get them both up to a 5k distance, then they can join me on my short days whilst training for my 26.2. It's going to be blog worthy, it's going to be epic! Not to mention that they are both excited to join the track club and compete in their own races. I'm one proud running Momma!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Yes, I’m still alive and still running; it just has not been
blog worthy. This winter, I got incredibly sick and had to take some time off.
I’ve been base building since February and only had one relapse. Due to my illness, I had to skip the Hot
Chocolate 15k in January and the Publix Georgia Half on St. Patty’s Day, both of which
broke my heart. I did complete the full 13.1 miles as part of a virtual race so
that was good enough for me

On to exciting news…It’s official, I have signed up for my
first marathon! On 02/02/2014 I will be running the Rock and Roll New Orleans Marathon! I have been playing with the idea for over six months now. But watching my big
brother successfully finish his first marathon and then the events at Boston pushed
me from thinking to committing. It also helped that I found a coupon code for
$20 off!

Stay tuned, I will return to blogging to report my training.
I sketched out my plan last night and will be following the Jeff Galloway Marathon to Finish Training Plan. I know I can run much longer than the 4:1 or even 4:30 sec ratio. But with this
being my first marathon, I want to play it safe and not get injured. Therefore,
I will finish it with Galloway. My sciatic and IT band are complaining lately
and I need to go easy on them the first time around.

Looking forward to reporting my training to y’all come July.
Stay tuned, I’m about to join the 26.2 club and I can’t wait!

About Me

I homeschool the most amazing, busy and lovable boys in the world. I started running in January 2010. I have run four half marathons. Blogging is my online running and homeschool journal to track my successes and fails to better myself for the next race, whether it's a foot race or the race of life!